“We’re not going to do anything different for this game since we’re not treating this game any different than another game. Every game is a championship game for us, so we’ll treat this one, the last one and the next one exactly the same. And that goes for our practices leading up to it as well.”

The Challenge Of Excellence

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.It’s a line that perfectly captures Carroll’s philosophy. The program is built around being great in every moment, because all the little moments eventually add up to the big events down the line, whether on Saturdays or otherwise. And the team has an ideal chance to seize one of those little moments in practice today.“As we finish this week up, let’s get our habits right,” Carroll told the players.That's the thing. We can't learn from our mistakes in something like this. We can't afford to make a mistake. That's why it's so tough to do.”

Motto

Do you have a motto of saying that you lead your life by?It’s a couple of things. The first one is, you don’t want to be the best one doing it, you want to be the only one doing it. That’s a quote I have always liked; Jerry Garcia said that. There is another one that Nick Barrio, the basketball player, he had a philosophy, he said that I am a lifetime 48 percent shooter. If I miss my first 10 shots, look out. I like that a lot. It’s about knowing who you are.

Winning Is Finishing“We place a big emphasis on finishing,” Carroll offered as a hypothesis for the perfect November record. “We’re hitting the home stretch now, and it’s all about that ‘finish’ mindset. You've got to finish right if you want to be champions.”

[b]It's All About The Ball, The Team, The Competition "Our philosophy of football is: it's all about the ball," Carroll bellowed to open the meeting, emphatically breaking the silence with the program's No. 1 emphasis. "No matter what it takes on offense, you're going to protect this ball. And on defense, there's no play where we're not trying to get the ball away." Style: "Our style is that we play with have effort, great enthusiasm and we play smart." Three rules: "Protect the team; No whining, no complaining, no excuses; Be early." Practice is everything: "Practice is where we make us." Everything counts: "You're either competing or you're not."[/b]

Win FOREVER!

Maybe a couple of these explain why he goes for a fake punt when up by 30, or tried for the EZ with backups in and up by 50.

Last edited by Jazzhawk on Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

“‘The issue is this — we set our sights years and years ago to get to this point right here and to prove that we could do this just because we were dreamers and we were hopeful and we were going to do something really special. And the fact that we’re going to play this game tomorrow is not the issue. The fact that’s so important is what we have done, what we have illustrated and the lesson we can take away from this. By having a vision that nobody would back off on, that nobody would take a backward step on, that nobody would ever think couldn't happen, we found our way to put ourselves exactly where we wanted to be. We’re doing it better than it’s ever been done before.”

One tip I got from his book that I absolutely love is to always compete.

While that may be very cliche to most readers, there's something in it that is described in the book: If you are always competing to be better than you were before and to do things in that manner, it doesn't matter who lines up across from you. Chances are he's worried about beating you and what you're going to try to do to beat him. You're not competing with him, but by the result of your efforts, you will be better than him by default and win that matchup.

nsport wrote:One tip I got from his book that I absolutely love is to always compete.

While that may be very cliche to most readers, there's something in it that is described in the book: If you are always competing to be better than you were before and to do things in that manner, it doesn't matter who lines up across from you. Chances are he's worried about beating you and what you're going to try to do to beat him. You're not competing with him, but by the result of your efforts, you will be better than him by default and win that matchup.

Very cool. I love that our coach is more than an X's and O's guy. He's a motivator of people, a believer in people, a man with a much larger perspective than just what's happening on the gridiron. His understanding of concepts like fear, competition, and self-actualization are showing positive results on the field. Love it!

Merged these posts. There are some really great quotes from Carroll because Carroll has an awesome philosophy. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at all the hate we see directed toward him. It's really unwarranted.

World Champion Seattle Seahawks football. It's an addiction, and there is no cure.Les Norton - gone but never forgotten. Rest in blue and green peace, my friend.

How incredible would it be if this team just kept improving every week, scored impressive wins over SF & Stl, stayed healthy, and then just steamrolled right through the NFC Playoffs as Hawk Road Warriors.

Seahawk Sailor wrote:Merged these posts. There are some really great quotes from Carroll because Carroll has an awesome philosophy. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at all the hate we see directed toward him. It's really unwarranted.

Pete is seen on the east coast as a feel good hippie who failed in the NFL for being too nice. Not enough Bill Cowher in him. He is hated in the South East because he was the one argument against the SEC. He is hated in the midwest because he is just too damn happy. He is hated in college towns out west because of his college recruiting advantage and the beatings he put on PAC 10 teams, and even Seahawk players joke with the ex-Trojans on the team about how much money they were making as SC. Breaking bread, yo.

Seahawk Sailor wrote:Merged these posts. There are some really great quotes from Carroll because Carroll has an awesome philosophy. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at all the hate we see directed toward him. It's really unwarranted.

Pete is seen on the east coast as a feel good hippie who failed in the NFL for being too nice. Not enough Bill Cowher in him. He is hated in the South East because he was the one argument against the SEC. He is hated in the midwest because he is just too damn happy. He is hated in college towns out west because of his college recruiting advantage and the beatings he put on PAC 10 teams, and even Seahawk players joke with the ex-Trojans on the team about how much money they were making as SC. Breaking bread, yo.

Yes, the hate is unwarranted. But isn't most hate?

Agree 100% (especially the last line). I love seeing coach defy the angry/frowning/yelling old-school hard-ass stereotype. His success transcends the sport primarily because of his ability to merge competition AND positivity. It's beautiful to see it in action, to see the professional players respond to it, and to hear Pete articulate it.

One of Pete's earliest coaching epiphanies was as a young assistant in college, when his instinct to get player's input in order to maximize practice time was angrily thwarted by his head coach. Pete held a "powerful" meeting with the players, really listened to them, and created a bond as well as a better practice.

"I had discovered the power of communicating with and listening to those you hope to know. If I was going to do something special and help players find their potential, I was going to have to build relationships and follow my instinct." (Disc 1, track 5 of the audio book)

Some old-schoolers find this 'touchy feely' but overlook the point that in any position of authority, be it teacher, parent, manager, foreman, or coach, what your charges/children/subordinates respond to most is how 'true to yourself' you are. Whether that's a Belichick-type stoicism, A Gruden-type snarl, or a Carroll-type positivity, it works to the degree that it is genuine. Pete's approach is the real deal and makes for excellent team-building, IMO.